Jon Gruden Biography

Jon Gruden was born Jon David Gruden, on August 17, 1963, in Sandusky, Ohio, US. His father, Jim, has been a professional football regional scout, a quarterbacks coach, and the director of player personnel for the National Football League (NFL) team Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 1978-1980, Jim was an assistant to the University of Notre Dame head coach Dan Devine, while prior to that, Jim was an assistant coach at the Indiana University (1973-1977).

Jon Gruden is of Slovene descent. His brother, Jay Gruden, has had a successful stint as a player and coach for the AFL teams Orlando Predators and Tampa Bay Storm. Jay has also served the NFL team Washington Redskins as its head coach. Jon Gruden’s other brother, James, grew up to be a radiologist at the UNC School of Medicine.

Gruden attended the Clay High School in Indiana. During this time, he played basketball, baseball, and football. He graduated high school in 1982.

Gruden later joined the Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. After spending a year there, moved to the University of Dayton. At Dayton, he was a backup quarterback for the Dayton Flyers. In 1986, Gruden obtained a degree in communications.

Soon after completing his university education, Jon Gruden joined the University of Tennessee as a graduate assistant and began his coaching career. He worked there for a year, from 1986 to 1987.

He also served as an offensive assistant for various collegiate football programs and eventually joined the staff of the NFL team San Francisco 49ers in 1990. In 1991, he went back to collegiate level football at the University of Pittsburgh.

In 1992 he joined the NFL team Green Bay Packers as their wide receivers’ coach. After 3 years with the Packers, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their offensive coordinator. In 1998, he became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

His short-tempered outbursts on the sidelines of the Raiders made him a target for TV reporters. He was soon nicknamed Chucky, after a demonic killer doll that appeared in the Child’s Play horror-movie series.

In 2000 and 2001, he led the Raiders to division titles. However, he believed he was underpaid by the team’s owner, Al Davis, and made it clear by the end of the 2002 season. Around the same time, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had fired their coach, Tony Dungy.

In February 2002, the Buccaneers acquired Gruden for $8 million and 4 draft picks, in a one-of-a-kind deal between them and the Raiders. However, it is believed the Buccaneers had initially chosen Bill Parcells for the position, and Gruden joined them after Parcells rejected the offer.

Gruden led the Buccaneers to 12 wins in his first year and led them to their first Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002, the Buccaneers and the Raiders came face to face. Eventually, the Buccaneers won by a score of 48–21. At 39 years, 5 months, and 9 days, Gruden became the youngest head coach to score a Super Bowl win back then.

In 2005, he helped the Buccaneers win a division title. However, their loss in their first-round play-off home game post-season, followed by a similar loss after the 2007 season, led to severe criticism of Gruden and his coaching style.

In 2008, the Buccaneers won 9 of their first 12 games. However, they also lost their last 4 games, including one against the Raiders on home ground.

On January 16, 2009, Gruden was fired by the Buccaneers. In May that year, Gruden joined the ESPN broadcast team, as a color analyst for the TV program Monday Night Football. In 2012, Gruden was the highlight of the series Jon Gruden's QB Camp.

On December 15, 2014, Gruden decided to extend his contract with ESPN through 2021. However, he was allowed to opt out if (and when) he wished to get back to coaching. The contract made Gruden ESPN’s highest-paid personality back then.

In January 2018, amid a successful broadcasting career, Gruden signed a 10-year $100 million contract (which was the longest and the most expensive coaching contract in the history of NFL) and became the head coach of the Raiders.

In his first season, the Raiders did not do too well. In 2019, they improved a bit, in-spite of posting a losing record. In the off-season, the franchise changed its venue from Oakland to Las Vegas.

In 2020, the team recorded a good start. However, they missed the playoffs due to poor performance in the rest of the season.

In the beginning of the 2021 season, Gruden was dragged into a controversy after allegations of making homophobic, racist, and misogynistic remarks through several e-mails, written over a 7-year period, were brought against him. He eventually resigned on October 11, 2021, about 5 weeks into the season, after the New York Times released the details of the scandal.

It emerged that Gruden had sent those emails during his stint as an ESPN color analyst. The emails were revealed during an NFL investigation into workplace misconduct associated with the Washington Football Team. In the aftermath of the incident, he was removed from the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.

During his illustrious coaching career, Gruden was seen in various commercials, such as those for the Hooters chain of restaurants. He has also endorsed brands such as Corona, GoPro, Nationwide, Bridgestone, Dunkin' Donuts, and GMC.

As the head coach of the Raiders, Gruden coached Charles Woodson, the 1998 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, to an award-winning season. As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, Gruden led both Derrick Brooks, the 2002 AP Defensive Player of the Year, and Cadillac Williams, the 2005 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, to award-winning seasons.

Gruden met Cindy Brooks in 1985, while working as a graduate assistant. Brooks studied at the University of Tennessee back then.

In 1991, Gruden married Brooks. The couple had 3 sons: Jon II “Deuce”, Michael, and Jason.

Gruden's eldest son, Deuce, was a competitive power lifter earlier and has won a gold medal in the junior 83kg weight category at the 2017 IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships. Deuce later began his NFL coaching career and is currently the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Oakland Raiders.

Soon after being fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2009, Gruden created the FFCA (Fired Football Coaches Association). The association offers financial support to school athletes, among other sports-related activities.